Artist: Various Artists/Compilation
Album: Spring NYC Soul
Genre: Soul
Released: 2020
Rarities from New York’s Spring, Event and Posse labels. 23 tracks on Kent CD for the first time, including six previously unreleased.New York label Spring, and its Event and Posse subsidiaries, were very active from 1967 up to the late 80s. They specialised in the city’s black music and tried most variations, including soul, gospel, disco, show tunes, funk, harmony and later electro and rap.We have chosen the most soulful tracks that have not appeared on Kent CDs before, including six completed recordings that were previously unreleased. Two of these are ballads: a stunning version of Ray Godfrey’s song ‘I’m The Other Half Of You’ by Maxine Weldon and an unknown sweet soul number from one-time Tavares member Victor Tavares. Ray Godfrey himself features with ‘I Love You More Than Anything’, as covered by Joe Simon, and the unheard song ‘Hold On’, both previously unissued dance tracks. The Determinations’ opener ‘Save The Best For Me’ is another of Ray’s great songs, previously only on a rare LP. Other 70s dancers come from Ronnie Walker, Act I and the Joneses. More ballads are provided by Joe Simon, Leroy Randolph and, surprisingly, the Fatback Band, while uptempo 60s soul comes from Prince Harold, Little Eva Harris and Richard Barbary.The offerings of the Internationals, US and Vernon Brown are harder to categorise – quirky and worthy but in their own individual styles. The great songwriter Phillip Mitchell went funky on his “Jody” song ‘If We Get Caught (I Don’t Know You)’, as did Phil Flowers with his heavy guitar-infused ‘Kill The Monster’. Philly girls the Equations sing the poppy and catchy ‘Boiling Like Water’, Jackie Verdell gives us gospel in a modern soul setting and C-Brand take us into the 80s with their two-stepper ‘Plenty Of Love’. Altogether a catholic selection for lovers of soul music through its most interesting eras.ADY CROASDELL
Tracklist
01 Save The Best For Me - The Determinations
02 Do You Feel It - Act I
03 I Love You More Than Anything - Ray Godfrey
04 Since You've Been Gone - Garland Green
05 Magic's In The Air - Ronnie Walker
06 If You Could Turn Into Me - The Fatback Band
07 Your Time To Cry - Joe Simon
08 I'm The Other Half Of You - Maxine Weldon
09 Forever - Clare Bathé
10 The Storm Is Passing Over - Jackie Verdell
11 Plenty Of Love - C-Brand
12 Beauty (Is In The Eye Of The Beholder) - The Joneses
13 Hold On - Ray Godfrey
14 Kill The Monster - Flower Shoppe
15 If We Get Caught, I Don't Know You - Phillip Mitchell
16 If You Say You Love Me - US
17 Falling In Love - Victor Tavares
18 (I Have Fallen Into) The Tender Trap - Leroy Randolph
19 Boiling Like Water - The Equations
20 Sugar Plum (Give Me Some) - Little Eva Harris
21 Get Right - Richard Barbary
22 Daddy's Coming Home - Prince Harold
23 Of Your Life - Vernon Brown
24 I Ride Alone - The Internationals
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